Format: Paperback

#BookReview Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson @HTPBooks @Bookclubbish #HTPBooks #LadiesoftheHouse #LaurenEdmondson #Bookclubbish

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#BookReview Ladies of the House by Lauren Edmondson @HTPBooks @Bookclubbish #HTPBooks #LadiesoftheHouse #LaurenEdmondson #Bookclubbish Title: Ladies of the House

Author: Lauren Edmondson

Published by: Graydon House on Feb. 9, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance, Women's Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Harlequin Books

Book Rating: 9/10

No surprise is a good surprise. At least according to thirty-four-year-old Daisy Richardson. So when it’s revealed in dramatic fashion that her esteemed father had been involved in a public scandal before his untimely death, Daisy’s life becomes complicated—and fast.

For one, the Richardsons must now sell the family home in Georgetown they can no longer afford, and Daisy’s mother is holding on with an iron grip. Her younger sister, Wallis, is ready to move on to bigger and better things but falls fast and hard for the most inconvenient person possible. And then there’s Atlas, Daisy’s best friend. She’s always wished they could be more, but now he’s writing an exposé on the one subject she’s been desperate to avoid: her father.

Daisy’s plan is to maintain a low profile as she works to keep her family intact amid social exile, public shaming, and quickly dwindling savings. But the spotlight always seems to find the Richardsons, and when another twist in the scandal comes to light, Daisy must confront the consequences of her continued silence and summon the courage to stand up and accept the power of her own voice.

Review:

Fresh, uplifting, and witty!

Ladies of the House is a charming, engaging tale that takes us to Washington, DC, and into the lives of three, strong, unique women as they each learn in their own way to cope with the death of their patriarch, Senator Gregory Richardson, and the subsequent trail of adultery, deception, controversy, scandal, and corruption he left in his wake.

The writing is clever and sharp. The characters are complex, angry, insecure, and loyal. And the plot unfolds and unravels quickly into a tender tale of family, friendship, trust, reputation, financial ruin, unrequited love, independence, happiness, and finding one’s true self.

Overall, Ladies of the House is an enjoyable, entertaining, modern retelling of Austen’s Sense and Sensibility that’s an outstanding debut by Edmondson with its endearing characters, heartfelt moments, contemporary storyline, and ending that will leave you with a smile.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to HTP Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Lauren Edmondson

Lauren Edmondson has a BA from Williams College and an MFA in fiction from Sarah Lawrence College. She teaches English at Northern Virginia Community College and lives outside Washington, D.C. with her husband and daughter. Ladies of the House is her first novel.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Her Wicked Marquess (Sinful Wallflowers #2) by Stacy Reid @st_reid @entangledpub @angelamelamud #HerWickedMarquess #StacyReid #SinfulWallflowers

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#BookReview Her Wicked Marquess (Sinful Wallflowers #2) by Stacy Reid @st_reid @entangledpub @angelamelamud #HerWickedMarquess #StacyReid #SinfulWallflowers Title: Her Wicked Marquess

Author: Stacy Reid

Series: Sinful Wallflowers #2

Published by: Entangled Publishing on Dec. 29, 2020

Genres: Historical Romance

Pages: 383

Format: Paperback

Source: Entangled Publishing, Angela Melamud

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Miss Maryann Fitzwilliam is too witty and bookish for her own good. No gentleman of the ton will marry her, so her parents arrange for her to wed a man old enough to be her father. But Maryann is ready to use those wits to turn herself into a sinful wallflower.

When the scandal sheet reports a sighting of Nicolas St. Ives, the Marquess of Rothbury, climbing out the chamber windows of a house party, Maryann does the unthinkable. She anonymously claims that the bedchamber belonged to none other than Miss Fitzwilliam, tarnishing her own reputation—and chances of the dastardly union her family secured for her. Now she just needs to convince the marquess to keep his silence.

Turns out Nicolas allows for the scandal to perpetuate for his own reasons… But when Maryann’s parents hold fast to their arranged marriage plan, it’ll take a scandal of epic proportions for these two to get out of this together.

Review:

Dark, edgy, and passionate!

Her Wicked Marquess is an engaging, rousing tale featuring the intelligent, fiery, MaryAnn Fitzwilliam who will do whatever it takes to escape a loveless marriage to the elderly Lord Stamford to whom she is betrothed, and the handsome, rakish Nicolas St. Ives who is determined to identify and seek revenge on all those who violated his childhood friend five years prior.

The prose is enticing and fluid. The characters are troubled, protective, and witty. And the plot is an alluring, mysterious mix of societal expectations, family, friendship, secrets, scandal, tender moments, retribution, and unconditional love.

Overall, Her Wicked Marquess is a sultry, adventurous, entertaining tale by Reid that is a pleasant surprise with its exceptional character development, unexpected ending, and twisty, surprising storyline that is quite atypical and somewhat grittier than you usually find in this genre.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.

               

 

 

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and Angela Melamud for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Stacy Reid

I am an unapologetic romance lover. I read it. I write it. Enough said. Well..I also have a warrior way "Never give up on my dreams." I spend a copious amount of time drooling over Rick Grimes from Walking Dead, watching Japanese anime and playing video games with my love, Dusean.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano @ElleCosimano @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #FinlayDonovanIsKillingIt #ElleCosimano

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#BookReview Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano @ElleCosimano @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #FinlayDonovanIsKillingIt #ElleCosimano Title: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Author: Elle Cosimano

Series: Finlay Donovan #1

Published by: Minotaur Books on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 9/10

IT’S MURDER BEING A HIT-MOM

“Getting the job done” for one single mom takes on a whole new meaning in Finlay Donovan is Killing It, a deliciously witty adult debut―the first in a brilliant new series from YA Edgar Award nominee Elle Cosimano.

Finlay Donovan is killing it . . . except, she’s really not. She’s a stressed-out single-mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: the new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written, her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her, and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer, and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet . . . Soon, Finlay discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from award-winning author Elle Cosimano.

Review:

Suspenseful, quirky, and outrageously funny!

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a humorous, compelling read that transports you to the suburbs of Virginia and into the life of Finlay Donovan, a struggling romantic suspense author, recent divorcee, mother of two, whose life is about to get even more chaotic when a woman mistakenly confuses her for a hitman, the husband she never actually intended to kill ends up dead in her minivan, her former nanny willingly becomes a confident and sidekick, and the detective investigating the case is a little too handsome for his own good.

The prose is sharp and witty. The characters are unique, affable, and multilayered. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel quickly into a riotous, yet thrilling tale filled with life, love, family, friendship, secrets, deception, spirited hijinks, hilarious mishaps, mystique, and murder.

Overall, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is a fresh, charming, laugh-out-loud funny mystery that kept me amused and entertained from the very first page. It’s the first novel I’ve read by Cosimano, but based on this fantastic, creative start to what could definitely turn out to be one of my favourite series of all time, I can guarantee you it won’t be my last.

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

               

 

 

Thank you to Minotaur – St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elle Cosimano

ELLE COSIMANO is an award-winning author. Her YA debut, Nearly Gone, was an Edgar Award finalist and winner of the International Thriller Award. Her novel Holding Smoke was a finalist for the International Thriller Award and the Bram Stoker Award. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Time. Elle lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband, two sons, and her dog. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is her adult debut.

Photo by Powell Woulfe Photography.

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#BookReview Exit by Belinda Bauer @BelindaBauerBooks @PGCBooks @groveatlantic #Exit #BelindaBauer

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#BookReview Exit by Belinda Bauer @BelindaBauerBooks @PGCBooks @groveatlantic #Exit #BelindaBauer Title: Exit

Author: Belinda Bauer

Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Dark Comedy, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 10/10

Belinda Bauer is “Britain’s most original crime writer” (Crime Scene), one of the few authors in the genre to be longlisted for the Man Booker prize. Now she returns with a heart-pounding, heartbreaking, and often hilarious new crime novel in which it’s never too late for life to go fatally wrong.

Felix Pink is retired. Widowed for more than a decade, a painfully literal thinker, he has led a life of routine and is, not unhappily, waiting to die a hopefully boring death. He occupies himself volunteering as an Exiteer–someone who sits with terminally ill people as they die by suicide, assisting with logistics and lending moral support, then removing the evidence so that family and friends are not implicated in the death. When Felix lets himself in to Number 3 Black Lane, he’s there to perform an act of kindness and charity: to keep a dying man company as he takes his final breath.

But just fifteen minutes later Felix is on the run from the police–after making the biggest mistake of his life. Now his routine world is turned upside down as he tries to discover whether what went wrong was a simple mistake–or deliberate. Murder.

Belinda Bauer continues to redefine the boundaries of crime fiction, with a novel that is part murder mystery, part coming-of-old-age story–however short that future may be. With the compassion and dark humor of Jonas Jonasson and the twisted thriller plotting of Rear Window, Exit is a novel readers will not soon forget.

Review:

Clever, darkly comedic, and touching!

Exit is a twisty, mischievous tale that takes you on a journey into the lives of an elderly widow who likes to help people pass peacefully, a neighbour with good intentions, an unscrupulous loan shark, an accidental victim, a slovenly cleaner, and a police office determined to keep his family full of misfits a secret.

The prose is tight and witty. The characterization is spot on with a whole slew of characters who are eccentric, sharp-witted, and endearing. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine into an irresistibly thrilling tale of deception, compassion, manipulation, moral dilemmas, drama, tragedy, skewed perception, oddball shenanigans, slapstick moments, and unlikely friendships.

Overall, Exit is a fresh, edgy, intricate tale by Bauer that was so much better than I ever expected. It thoroughly entertained me, and I absolutely loved it.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Belinda Bauer

BELINDA BAUER is the award-winning author of seven previous novels that have been translated into twenty-one languages. She won the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Crime Novel of the Year forBlacklands, the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award forRubbernecker, and the CWA Dagger in the Library Award for outstanding body of work. Her previous novel, Snap, was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize. She lives in Wales.

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#BookReview The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah @RaincoastBooks @StMartinsPress #TheFourWinds #KristinHannah

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#BookReview The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah @RaincoastBooks @StMartinsPress #TheFourWinds #KristinHannah Title: The Four Winds

Author: Kristin Hannah

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 464

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Raincoast Books

Book Rating: 10/10

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.

Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

Review:

Gritty, insightful, and incredibly atmospheric!

The Four Winds is an intriguing tale that sweeps you away to Dalhart, Texas during the 1920s – 1930s, when the country is reeling from the great depression and the townsfolk of West Texas must decide to continue to struggle to maintain their livelihoods, identities, and health through the relentless heat, devastating wind storms, and catastrophic droughts or relocate to the lushness of California where water is plentiful, the land is fertile, but survival may be just as difficult or worse.

The prose is poetic and lyrical. The main characters are strong, resilient, and hardworking. And the plot is an enthralling, emotional saga filled with life, loss, self-discovery, motherhood, familial drama, social stratification, poverty, tragedy, discrimination, inequality, heartbreak, courage, romance, and friendship.

Overall, The Four Winds is another exquisitely written, exceptionally detailed, beautiful novel by Hannah that I absolutely adored, and is undoubtedly going to be a big hit with historical fiction fans and book clubs everywhere.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

           

 

 

Thank you to Raincoast Books for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kristin Hannah

KRISTIN HANNAH is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels, including The Nightingale, The Great Alone, and The Four Winds. A former lawyer turned writer, she lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo by Kevin Lynch.

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#BookReview Hadley & Grace by Suzanne Redfearn @SuzanneRedfearn @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #Hadley&Grace #SuzanneRedfearn

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#BookReview Hadley & Grace by Suzanne Redfearn @SuzanneRedfearn @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #Hadley&Grace #SuzanneRedfearn Title: Hadley & Grace

Author: Suzanne Redfearn

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on Feb. 1, 2021

Genres: Women's Fiction

Pages: 347

Format: Paperback

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The author of In an Instant delivers a heart-pounding and emotional roller-coaster ride of self-discovery in the tradition of Thelma and Louise.

Needing to escape her abusive marriage, Hadley flees with her two kids, knowing it might be her only chance. A woman who can’t even kill a spider, Hadley soon finds herself pushed to the limits as she fights to protect her family.

Grace, new mother of baby Miles, desperately wants to put her rough past behind her for good, but she finds it impossible when her path crosses with Hadley’s, and her quest for a new start quickly spirals out of control and turns into a terrifying flight for survival.

Stronger together than apart, the two find their fates inextricably entwined, and as the danger closes in, each must decide how much she is willing to risk for the other.

A powerful story of self-discovery, Hadley and Grace is the heart-racing tale of two women facing insurmountable odds, racing to stay one step ahead of the trouble that is chasing them, and discovering new kinds of love and family along the way.

Review:

Dramatic, impactful, and thought-provoking!

Hadley & Grace is a fast-paced, heart-pounding, thrilling novel that takes you into the life of an abused housewife and a disgruntled employee as coincidence and an unfortunate accident causes them to embark together on a wild ride of misfortune, chaos, and danger to escape their everyday lives.

The prose is eloquent and intense. The characters are multilayered, distressed, and impulsive. And the plot, reminiscent of the famous Ridley Scott film, Thelma and Louse, is an enthralling tale of life, love, loss, motherhood, family, guilt, acceptance, mayhem, abuse, persuasion, and survival.

Overall, Hadley & Grace is an alluring, empowering, entertaining romp by Redfearn full of heart, hope, and humour that does a wonderful job of delving into all the complex dynamics of relationships while highlighting the incredible power of friendship.

 

This book is available now. 

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or preorder from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Suzanne Redfearn and Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Suzanne Redfearn

Suzanne Redfearn is the award-winning author of three novels: Hush Little Baby, No Ordinary Life, and In an Instant. In addition to being an author, she’s also an architect specializing in residential and commercial design. She lives in Laguna Beach, California, where she and her husband own two restaurants: Lumberyard and Slice Pizza and Beer.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

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#BookReview The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood @TraceyEnerson @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheEngineersWife #TraceyEnersonWood #bookmarkedbylandmark

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#BookReview The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood @TraceyEnerson @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheEngineersWife #TraceyEnersonWood #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: The Engineer's Wife

Author: Tracey Enerson Wood

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Feb. 2, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 8.5/10

She built a monument for all time. Then she was lost in its shadow. Discover the fascinating woman who helped design and construct the Brooklyn Bridge.

Emily Roebling refuses to live conventionally—she knows who she is and what she wants, and she’s determined to make change. But then her husband asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible.

Emily’s fight for women’s suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when her husband Washington Roebling, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. But as the project takes shape under Emily’s direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building—hers, or her husband’s. As the monument rises, Emily’s marriage, principles, and identity threaten to collapse. When the bridge finally stands finished, will she recognize the woman who built it?

Based on the true story of an American icon, The Engineer’s Wife delivers an emotional portrait of a woman transformed by a project of unfathomable scale, which takes her into the bowels of the East River, suffragette riots, the halls of Manhattan’s elite, and the heady, freewheeling temptations of P.T. Barnum. The biography of a husband and wife determined to build something that lasts—even at the risk of losing each other.

Review:

Immersive, insightful, and alluring!

The Engineer’s Wife is a fascinating tale that sweeps you away to 1870s New York and into the life of Emily Roebling, a young woman ahead of her time who is a suffragist at heart but due to the sudden loss of her father-in-law and her husband’s debilitation from caisson disease focuses her attention on overcoming the social constraints, corruption, and prejudices of the time to complete the construction of the infamous Brooklyn Bridge.

The prose is descriptive and rich. The characters are flawed, driven, and engaging. And the plot is a vivid, absorbing tale of life, loss, love, hope, greed, politics, family, sacrifices, tragedy, successes, and the intricacies of building a suspension bridge in the late 19th century.

Overall, The Engineer’s Wife is a nuanced, perceptive, well-written tale that does a beautiful job of highlighting Tracey Enerson Wood’s impressive research and considerable knowledge into this magnificent engineering feat that still graces the New York skyline today and the people who dared to imagine, design, and build it.

 

This novel is available in paperback on February 2, 2021.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Tracey Enerson Wood

Tracey Enerson Wood has always had a writing bug. While working as a Registered Nurse, starting her own Interior Design company, raising two children, and bouncing around the world as a military wife, she indulged in her passion as a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. She has authored magazine columns and other non-fiction, written and directed plays of all lengths, including Grits, Fleas and Carrots, Rocks and Other Hard Places, Alone, and Fog.

Her screenplays include Strike Three and Roebling’s Bridge.

Other passions include food and cooking, and honoring military heroes. Her co-authored anthology/cookbook Homefront Cooking, American Veterans share Recipes, Wit, and Wisdom, was released by Skyhorse Publishing in May, 2018, and all authors’ profits will be donated to organizations that support veterans.

A New Jersey native, she now lives with her family in Florida and Germany.

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#BookReview Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder @suleikhasnyder @SourcebooksCasa #BigBadWolf #ThirdShift #SourcebooksCasa

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#BookReview Big Bad Wolf by Suleikha Snyder @suleikhasnyder @SourcebooksCasa #BigBadWolf #ThirdShift #SourcebooksCasa Title: Big Bad Wolf

Author: Suleikha Snyder

Series: Third Shift #1

Published by: Sourcebooks Casablanca on Jan. 26, 2021

Genres: Paranormal Romance, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 368

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Casablanca

Book Rating: 8/10

In 2016, New York became a Sanctuary City for supernaturals…but things quickly spun out of control. Now, Third Shift is an elite team of operatives tasked with exposing the gritty underbelly of New York’s criminal-supernatural underworld, taking down the worst of the worst and protecting human- and shifter-kind alike.

Joe Peluso has blood on his hands. But lawyer and psychologist Neha Ahluwalia is determined to help him craft a solid defense…even if she can’t defend her own obsession. Because Joe took out those Russian mobsters for good reason–they were responsible for the death of his beloved foster brother. Those six bad guys were part of the ruthless clan of bear shifters who control Brooklyn’s Russian mafia, so his vigilante justice has earned him countless enemies in New York’s supernatural-controlled underworld, and no friends in a government that now bends to Russia at every turn.

Joe knows that creatures like him only deserve the worst. Darkness. Solitude. Punishment. But meeting Neha makes him feel human for the first time in forever. He’s never wanted anything in his life like he wants Neha, and he’ll break almost any rule to spend a minute alone with her. But when the Russian mob attacks the jail for payback, Joe and Neha are forced to escape. Before long they’re on the run–from monsters who want him dead and from their own traitorous hearts.

Review:

Edgy, provocative, and risqué!

Big Bad Wolf is a seductive, dramatic, paranormal romance that takes you on a journey into the life of Neha Ahluwalia, an intelligent, determined psychologist/lawyer who finds herself inadvertently attracted to and swept off her feet by the rough and dirty-mouthed criminal, Joe Peluso who unfortunately has more to fear than a court of law.

The narration is salacious and smooth. The characters are consumed, impulsive, and intense. And the fast-paced, alluring plot is filled with temptation, desire, danger, deception, mystique, sizzling chemistry, palpable attraction, violence, murder, and of course the supernatural.

Overall, Big Bad Wolf is an intriguing, suspenseful, sultry tale by Snyder that has the right amount of mystery, sex, imaginative world-building, unique characters, and bad boy vibes to keep you engaged from start to finish. As most of you know, I don’t read a lot of paranormal romance and I have never read a novel by Suleikha Snyder before, but I have to tell you I really enjoyed this one and I can’t wait to read what this extraordinary team of shapeshifters, vampires, and humans get up to next in Pretty Little Lion publishing this fall.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

     

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Suleikha Snyder

Editor, writer, American desi and lifelong geek Suleikha Snyder is an author of contemporary and erotic romance. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusivity in publishing, Suleikha is frequently ranting when she should really be adding to her body of work.

Suleikha lives in Chicago, finding inspiration in genre fiction, daytime and primetime soaps, and anything that involves chocolate or bacon.

Photograph by Elizabeth McQuern Photography.

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#BookReview Reunited on Dragonfly Lane (Sweetwater Springs #7) by Annie Rains @AnnieRainsBooks @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #Forever2021 #AnnieRains #SweetwaterSprings

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#BookReview Reunited on Dragonfly Lane (Sweetwater Springs #7) by Annie Rains @AnnieRainsBooks @ReadForeverPub @GrandCentralPub #ReadForever #Forever2021 #AnnieRains #SweetwaterSprings Title: Reunited on Dragonfly Lane

Author: Annie Rains

Series: Sweetwater Springs #7

Published by: Forever on Jan. 26, 2021

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 347

Format: Paperback

Source: Forever

Book Rating: 8.5/10

In this romantic adventure, anything is paws-ible when a single shop owner makes a connection with her new vet.

Boutique owner Sophie Daniels certainly isn’t looking to adopt a dog the day veterinarian Chase Lewis convinces her to take in Comet. A rambunctious puppy with a broken leg may not be the best choice for a first-time pet owner. And house calls from the handsome doctor—her high school sweetheart who’s just moved back to Sweetwater Springs—may not be the best choice for her heart either.

Chase has come home to help his nephew but finds that he’s forgotten just how much he enjoys small-town life. However, sooner or later, he’s going to have to face the past and his unresolved feelings for Sophie. Now that Comet needs both their help, Chase is going to let the four-legged matchmaker work his canine magic. Then Chase will prove to Sophie that first love is even better the second time around.

Includes the bonus novella A Wedding on Lavender Hill!

Review:

Hopeful, enchanting, and sweetly romantic!

Reunited on Dragonfly Lane is a heartfelt, adorable, second-chance romance that features the kindhearted, scarred Sophie and the handsome, dependable Chase as they navigate a relationship that includes undeniable chemistry, a devastating accident in the past, a relationship that ended badly, and an irresistible, four-legged, furry friend.

The writing is cosy and light. The characters are generous, hesitant, and endearing. And the plot is a compelling combination of family, friendship, community, generosity, tender moments, and swoon-worthy romance.

Reunited on Dragonfly Lane is another playful, emotional, charming read by Rains, and even though it’s a little sad to say goodbye to all the characters we’ve come to know and love over the past seven novels, it has been an absolute pleasure to be able to indulge in all the romance, adventure, mishaps, and love that’s gone on in Sweetwater Springs over the entire series, and I can’t wait to be swept away to Somerset Lake when the new series kicks off later this spring.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

       

 

 

Thank you to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in an exchange for an honest review.

 

About Annie Rains

Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn’t writing, she’s living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.

Photograph courtesy of Read-Forever Website.

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#BookReview Meet Me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft @Jenny_Ashcroft @StMartinsPress #MeetMeinBombay #JennyAshcroft #StMartinsPress

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#BookReview Meet Me in Bombay by Jenny Ashcroft @Jenny_Ashcroft @StMartinsPress #MeetMeinBombay #JennyAshcroft #StMartinsPress Title: Meet Me in Bombay

Author: Jenny Ashcroft

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Jan. 19, 2021

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 9/10

All he needs is to find her. First, he must remember who she is.

It’s New Year’s Eve in Bombay, 1913, and Madeline Bright, new to the sweltering heat of colonial India, is yearning for all she has left behind in England. Then, at the stroke of midnight, Maddy meets Luke Devereaux, and as the year changes so do both their lives.

Bold and charismatic, Luke opens her eyes to the wonders of Bombay, while Maddy’s beauty and vivacity captures his heart. Only her mother disapproves, preferring the devoted Guy Bowen as a match for her daughter.

But while Maddy and Luke are falling in love, the world is falling apart. World War I is on the horizon, and Luke will be given no choice but to fight. They will be continents apart, separated by danger and devastating loss, but bound by Luke’s promise that they will meet again in Bombay. His only wish is to return to her–but first he must remember who she is . . .

Review:

Heartwrenching, beautiful, and bittersweet!

Meet Me in Bombay is predominantly set in India during the early 1900s and is told from two different perspectives; Maddy, a young woman who finds the love of her life only to lose him to war, and Luke, a young officer who can’t remember his name or where he’s from, but knows deep down that he’s experienced the all-consuming, power of true love.

The prose is expressive and vivid. The characters are vulnerable, multi-layered, and resilient. And the plot is a mysterious, moving tale about life, love, familial relationships, heartbreak, loss, guilt, grief, hope, regret, friendship, and the physical and psychological tragedies of war.

Overall, Meet Me in Bombay is a lovely blend of evocative fiction and palpable emotion. It’s a poignant, tender, affecting tale that will make you smile, make you cry, and definitely tug at your heartstrings.

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jenny Ashcroft

JENNY ASHCROFT is a British author of historical fiction books including Beneath a Burning Sky and Island in the East. Having spent many years living, working and exploring in Australia and Asia, she is now based in Brighton where she lives with her family by the sea. She has a degree from Oxford University in history, and has always been fascinated by the past—in particular the way that extraordinary events can transform the lives of normal people.

Photograph by David Myers Photography.

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